‘Tis the Season: Should You Buy or Rent?

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013

‘Tis the season!

I’ve recently had in depth discussions with two different Relaxing Retirement members who are weighing buying a much desired second home vs. renting one.

This happens every year around this time so I thought I’d provide you with the same checklist I shared with them to help them evaluate and arrive at a rational conclusion based on their individual desires.

This is the same evaluation I went through several years back before we purchased our summer place in Chatham.

The big question always centers around buying vs. renting. And, because there are so many factors involved, there is no correct ‘rule of thumb’ answer.

Questions To Ask Yourself

The first big question you want to ask yourself is how many days in a year can you really see yourself being at the second home? If the answer is two weeks, you know which option you should choose. Rent.

Do you have family members or friends who would take advantage of it and utilize it when you were not there? (Another justification for owning)

How long can you see yourself owning it? How many more years can you see yourself traveling to this location on a regular basis? 5 years…10 years…20 years?

Who will maintain the property while you’re not there? Is it part of a condominium complex where a service is available for the fee you pay?

Lastly, are you going to rent it out while you’re not there? If so, do you want to be a long distance landlord? The big downside of this is that the time of the year you want to be there, i.e. winter months, is exactly when someone would want to rent it from you. There’s not much of a market for renters in Florida or Arizona in July!

Ditto for renters on the Cape in January and February!

Many times, if you take a step back and rationally answer these simple questions, you can determine the best option for yourself.

Advantages of Owning

You expect to be in the second home for an absolute minimum of four months per year and want it to be “your” home

Freedom and Control: You can come and go as you please with no limitations and leave belongings behind such as clothing and a car

Family and friends can use it for their vacations while you’re not there, or you can host family and friends

Locking in the price of a home, especially at depressed prices.

Real estate appreciation: Although I don’t recommend treating it as an investment, owning an appreciating asset is always a plus (of course making the ‘assumption’ that your property will increase in value over time)

Lack of control over rising real estate taxes: This has become a huge problem with second home buyers in Florida for whom this in not their primary residence. Unfortunately, you have no controlover your town’s evaluation of your property. They have the power to increase your property taxes.

Lack of control over rising condo fees (assuming for a moment that you live in a condo). The association controls this.

Having to care and maintain the property from a long distance

Being caught in a buyer’s market when you want or need to sell

Take a moment to write down your thoughts on each of these, and the questions above.

Advantages of Renting

Let’s now weigh the advantages and disadvantage of renting a vacation home. When we’re done, we’ll pull it all together so you can make an educated decision that you can be comfortable with.

No large sum of out-of-pocket cost to purchase

No costs other than rent

You’re not locked into one destination each year

You have no other responsibilities other than paying the rent and preventing damage to the property while you’re there

As needs, desires, priorities, and life circumstances change, you have the flexibility to change plans without having to sell

Disadvantages of Renting

No control over future rent increases (could get priced out of the location you desire)

No equity buildup if prices of real estate increase

Must live by the owner’s rules (i.e. no pets, etc.)

Unless you drive to the destination, you may have to rent a car which is extremely expensive

As you can see, there are strong advantages and disadvantages to each. Much of it comes down to your answers to the initial questions I posed in the beginning.

For instance, if you plan to be in your vacation spot four months per year, you’ve been to this location before and you know you like it, you have family who will also utilize it, and you have friends who live in the same community, ownership is clearly the way to go given the choice.

However, we find that renting works for many of our Relaxing Retirement members, too.

Several of them rent for two weeks to as many as four months and get great benefit and value from doing it. It suits their unique situation.

The all important initial step is to de-emotionalize yourself from the situation so that you can calmly and accurately make a decision that is based fact, not emotion and opinion. (i.e. try not to make a decision “if” you want to own property when you’re sitting in the middle of a real estate sales presentation at the newest condominium complex in a town you’ve been to once in your life!)

Your emotions are too high at that point. You want to treat this just like all of your other financial decisions, as part of a carefully thought out plan, not an isolated decision in a vacuum.

Visualize the next 20 years of your life. Can you vividly see yourself living a good portion of your life in this location? That’s the real test.

If you’re seriously thinking about buying, my recommendation is to rent initially for an extended period of time (minimum of four weeks), so that you can get the feeling for what it is like to actually “live” in this location as opposed to “vacation” in this location.

Then you can make a rational decision that you can be happy with for many years to come.

P.S.WHO do you know who could benefit from receiving my Retirement Coach “Strategy of the Week”? Please simply provide their name and email address to us at info@TheRetirementCoach.com. Or they can subscribe at www.TheRetirementCoach.com.I appreciate the trust you place in me. Thank you!